American Idol, Top 8 Results: It's All About Song Choice

It’s time for another Results Show, and Ryan starts everything off with the très dramatique, “You are in for a shock, America.” Wait…let me guess…Paula’s going to say something of value and offer some true constructive criticism. No, never mind. That wouldn’t be a shock. That would be a sign of the Apocalypse. Anyway, after the opening credits, Ryan walks back out on stage to welcome us to the show. I have to say it’s nice to see that Ryan remembered to shave for tonight’s show. In fact, he looks quite dapper this evening in his black pinstripe suit and silver satin tie, even if it does look like he’s headed to a mafia funeral after tonight’s show. Anyway, Ryan tells us that tonight’s show is an hour-long episode, and I can only hope that doesn’t mean we’ll be subjected to more than one of those insipid Ford commercials. We say hello to the judges, and Ryan then tells us that over 34 million votes were after last night’s show. Ryan then brings us over to the Couch Of Safety, where we say hello to our finalists and chat with them for a bit. Ryan asks Constantine about his apparently infamous “tongue move” from last night. (I say “apparently infamous” because I didn’t even notice it until I just watched the Tuesday show again on TiVo. But, I digress…) Constantine, who, with his hair pulled back into a ponytail and unshaven face, looks more like Laurie Partridge with a hormone problem than his usual “rocker” persona, says, “I didn’t think about it much. It just happened.” Ryan asks Anthony how he’s doing this evening, and Anthony says, “I’m just a little nervous.” He then asks Vonzell about working with famed producer Desmond Child on the recording of the charity single, and Vonzell says, “Working with Desmond Child has been great…I’ve just been living it up.” Speaking of the charity single, we next see a video piece on the recording of the charity single, and we learn that the entire Top 12 was reunited for the recording. Ryan reminds us that the CD, which actually will consist of all three songs that could have been selected as the winning single, will be in stores next Tuesday, and we then head into our first commercial break of the evening.

We come back from the break, and the group is ready to perform the winning single, “When You Tell Me That You Love Me” on stage this evening. Since the entire Top 12 recorded the song, does that mean that the entire group will be performing it this evening? Unfortunately, it does not, and only the eight remaining finalists are on stage to sing the song. Now, I don’t know what the version on the CD is going to sound like, but I can tell you that in tonight’s “live” version, all three girls sound very good, while Scott and Anthony sound noticeably weak for the men. All in all, it’s a decent enough performance, and it leads us right into another video piece. (Don’t forget, folks…this is an hour-long Results Show tonight. That means lots of filler.) This one is basically a “week in the life” piece about what the finalists do each day beginning with the day after the Results Show and leading up to the Results Show the following week. It’s an interesting enough piece, but it’s really nothing more than filler in this 60-minute version of what could easily be a 30-minute show. We come back from the video segment, and Ryan reminds of all the drama and shock that is to come by saying, “You won’t believe who is in the Bottom Three this week.” Hearing that, I think it can only mean one thing: that one of “The Untouchables”—Carrie or Bo—must be in this week’s Bottom Three…

We come back from the commercial break, and it’s time for our weekly Ford commercial. This one, using the song “One Nation Under A Groove” is all about the group trying to fit into one tiny Ford Focus. We all know that can’t happen (unless this group was circus clowns, but I digress…), so the gang takes some photos of the one Focus and makes a second one out of the Xerox copies of those photos. Unfortunately, nobody took any pictures of the door locks, and out group isn’t able to get into their Xeroxed car. Ah, the hilarity…the hijinks…those wacky kids… After the commercial is (thankfully) over, we see the video recap of last night’s performances, and then it’s time for Ryan to talk to the finalists some more. (Remember, people…filler…) Ryan mentions that Carrie was apparently not feeling well before last night’s show (a convenient excuse should she be in the Bottom Three this week, I think) and asks how she’s doing now. She’s doing better and says, in regards to last night’s show, “I gave it my all.” Ryan then asks Nadia how she deals with the pressure of being on the show. She says she deals with it through prayer and adds, “I just want to do whatever God’s will is for me.” Finally, Ryan asks Anwar if he’s conscious of all the people who are watching the show when he’s up on the stage. Anwar says, “I just sing. I think about the message and getting it across.” Ryan then reminds us that each of the Bottom Three will be singing his/her favorite song from the show this evening (again, more filler), and he asks Scott what he would sing if he were one of those three people. Scott says he would sing either “She’s Gone” or “Against All Odds” and finally decides on “Against All Odds”. With that, Ryan tells Scott he’s going to get that chance, because he is in the Bottom Three this week. Scott heads over to center stage and reprises his version of the Phil Collins hit. He sounds about like he did when he sang the song before, and his incessant pointing to himself and exaggerated hand motions are back as well. Once Scott is done, there are no critiques from the judges, and we head right into another commercial break.

We come back from the break, and it’s time to get back to the business at hand. Carrie, you sang “Love Is A Battlefield”. America voted, and you are…safe. Hmm…that must mean that Bo is in the Bottom Three. Anyway, moving on to Anwar. Anwar, you sang “I’ll Never Love This Way Again”. Personally, I hope you never sing that way again (I wasn’t a huge fan of the performance), but enough people liked it that you are also safe this week. We move on to Bo. Bo, America voted, and, sure enough, you are in the Bottom Three this week. (At this point, the audience erupts into a very loud chorus of boos.) Before Bo crosses the stage to join Scott, Ryan asks him how he feels about being in the Bottom Three. Bo says, “I’ve had a great time. This all started as a bet with my mom. I’m not worried about it.” (I know that this attitude is not “attitude” so much as it is just Bo’s personality, but I’m wondering if this apparent apathy will turn off voters for future shows.) Ryan asks Randy for a comment about Bo being in the Bottom Three, and Randy says, “I think he’s probably lost a little confidence.” Ryan then turns to Paula, who, in turn, turns to the audience, and says with much bravado, “Trust me, you’ll see him in the finals.” (I still find it more than just a bit ironic that Paula criticizes Simon for championing Carrie, yet she does the exact same thing for Bo, but I digress yet again…) Finally, we get to hear Bo sing again, and he does his version of “Remedy” one more time. He sounds better this time around, but I’m still not crazy about the performance and the song. Needless to say, Paula is up out of her seat during Bo’s performance, and that performance takes us into another commercial break.

We come back from the break, and it’s time to find out who the final member of this week’s Bottom Three. We start with <s>Laurie Partridge</s> Constantine, who sang “Bohemian Rhapsody” last night. Constantine, America has voted, and you are…safe. That leaves us with Vonzell, Anthony, and Nadia. After asking what song each of them would sing if they were in the Bottom Three, Ryan announces that the final member of this week’s Bottom Three is…Nadia. (The audience boos loudly again, but I can’t say I’m all that surprised.) Nadia sings Dusty Springfield’s “You Don’t Have To Say You Love Me” one more time, and she is just great once again. In fact, the performance is so good, that all three judges are clapping by the time Nadia’s done. Simon hits the nail on the head when he tells Nadia, “If you had sung that last night, you would not be standing there (in the Bottom 3) tonight.” Anyway, our Bottom Three is now complete, and Ryan tells us that we will find out which one of them is going home—say it with me, y’all—right after the break.

We come back from the break, and Ryan asks the judges for some comments on this week’s Bottom Three. Randy says, “It’s about consistency. You’ve got to build up your confidence, and you gotta give it up every night.” In reference to who is in this week’s Bottom Three, Paula says, “We’ve all seen crazy things happen.” That’s true, Paula, and with you still on the show, we’ll continue to see crazy things happen. Moving on, Ryan says that it is time to put one of these three out of his/her misery. He asks Bo and Nadia to step back and allow Scott to return to the Couch Of Safety because he is safe. Huh? Scott is safe and either Bo or Nadia will be going home this week? As a friend of mine says, that ain’t right…that just ain’t right. Anyway, Scott is understandably relieved and says, “Thank you!” several times rather loudly as he heads over to the Couch Of Safety, where he bumps chests with Constantine as if they’re NFL players or something. (Now, I can understand that Scott is relieved, but I think this display is a bit over the top.) That means that either Bo or Nadia will be going home this evening. Ryan again turns to Randy for a comment, and he says, “Just remember…two former winners stood in that spot.”

The moment of truth has arrived. Ryan opens his envelope and announces that the person going home this week is…Nadia Turner. The audience boos its disapproval loudly, but Nadia take the news well and with grace. Nadia takes the opportunity thank everyone from her family to her fans, and she adds, “The journey has just begun.” We see the requisite video tribute (during which Nadia sheds a couple of tears), and the show comes to a close with the remaining finalists swallowing Nadia up in a sea of hugs.

Well, one of my personal favorites has now left the show. (And has left the show far too early, if you ask me) I’m a bit disappointed, but I hope Nadia is right and that her journey has indeed just begun. In the meantime, we’ve got seven hopefuls left, each of whom wants to be the next Kelly, Ruben, or Fantasia. What will next week’s theme bring? Who will survive? Tune in Tuesday night to find out!

that was a wonderful and funny recap. It was a sad show in a way. I'm not sure what's keeping Scott or Anthony on the show but there they are. I liked Bo's comments actually, he is real and consistent in his attitude always. Scott is just.........ahhhhhhhhhhhhh! Nasty boy. My favorite top 5 are: Connie, Bo, Carrie, Anwar, and Vonzel. Two girls left...it's all getting scary

Great recap as always Lobek, thanks! I have to say, when this site was down I wandered into a couple other idol forums and the reviews did not hold a candle to yours!

Originally Posted by lobeck

Well, one of my personal favorites has now left the show. (And has left the show far too early, if you ask me) I’m a bit disappointed, but I hope Nadia is right and that her journey has indeed just begun. In the meantime, we’ve got seven hopefuls left, each of whom wants to be the next Kelly, Ruben, or Fantasia. What will next week’s theme bring? Who will survive? Tune in Tuesday night to find out!

One of my favorites too I can't understand why people couldn't look past the unfortunate song choices to the real talent this woman possesses. If I had to pick between Nadia and Vonzell (as Simon seemed to want us to do), I would pick Nadia hands down. Oh well, hopefully we'll be seeing her again.

This is sad. IMHO, Nadia was far and away the best performer in this competition. Maybe not the best singer, but her voice was more than adequate.

Until they change the voting so you vote off the worst performer/singer instead of allowing people to stuff the ballot box for their "favorite", this will continue to be a popularity contest having little to do with actual talent.

Voting for who you think should go would prevent people from being able to vote hundreds (or thousands) of times for the one they think is the cutest or from their home town or whatever.

Until they change the voting so you vote off the worst performer/singer instead of allowing people to stuff the ballot box for their "favorite", this will continue to be a popularity contest having little to do with actual talent.

Voting for who you think should go would prevent people from being able to vote hundreds (or thousands) of times for the one they think is the cutest or from their home town or whatever.

I disagree. Just as you are saying that people can vote hundreds or thousands of times for the one people think is the cutest, etc., people could also vote hundreds or thousands of time for someone they don't like for whatever reason, resulting in that contestant's departure, whether they should be the one to go or not.

Disappointed, but not "Shocked"

Originally Posted by lobeck

Ryan asks Randy for a comment about Bo being in the Bottom Three, and Randy says, “I think he’s probably lost a little confidence.” Ryan then turns to Paula, who, in turn, turns to the audience, and says with much bravado, “Trust me, you’ll see him in the finals.” (I still find it more than just a bit ironic that Paula criticizes Simon for championing Carrie, yet she does the exact same thing for Bo, but I digress yet again…)

Well thank you for pointing this out! Let's not forget either that Paula gets up and dances wildly during the performances of her favorites too.

We come back from the break, and it’s time to find out who the final member of this week’s Bottom Three. We start with <s>Laurie Partridge</s> Constantine, who sang “Bohemian Rhapsody” last night. Constantine, America has voted, and you are…safe.

It's not surprising that Laurie - I mean Connie was safe, but I did get my hopes up. Interestingly, I really believe the producers have promoted Connie a lot. He had heavy pre-finals pimping and over the weekend I happened to be watching Fox and a commercial came on for AI and they showed the clip where Paula tells Connie, "I think I'm falling in love with you." Anwar also got a plug with gushing remarks, but no one else was shown or mentioned. If this was a political campaign Fox would be (and should be) forced to show clips of the other contestants.

Moving on, Ryan says that it is time to put one of these three out of his/her misery. He asks Bo and Nadia to step back and allow Scott to return to the Couch Of Safety because he is safe. Huh? Scott is safe and either Bo or Nadia will be going home this week? As a friend of mine says, that ain’t right…that just ain’t right. Anyway, Scott is understandably relieved and says, “Thank you!” several times rather loudly as he heads over to the Couch Of Safety, where he bumps chests with Constantine as if they’re NFL players or something. (Now, I can understand that Scott is relieved, but I think this display is a bit over the top.)

When Scott boasted and insulted the viewing audience on Tuesday night that 'he had more nerve and guts than millions of them' I thought his fate was sealed, but apparently Scott's rude and classless behavior is more popular than than Nadia's gracious and classy manners. Did I mention that Nadia is much more talented than toad-man also? Oh, I know its rude but I just had to say that.

Since the entire Top 12 recorded the song, does that mean that the entire group will be performing it this evening? Unfortunately, it does not, and only the eight remaining finalists are on stage to sing the song.

Anyway, the problem is not the voting system, imo. The teenage vote is going to keep some around longer than usual (e.g., Jasmine, John Stevens, etc.), but obviously something different is going on here. I wish the contestants had gotten more even screen time during the hollywood auditions. They really can't show everyone in the finals precisely even since they don't know who will be in the finals, but some got practically no screen time while others were showcased.

Constantine by far, but also Scott and Carrie. These 3 have extremely strong fanbases now. Carrie was the only one deserving to be in the finals, imo, but Constantine has since shown why he is there. I'll miss the ever entertaining, and always in tune Nadia. I do believe Scott's fanbase has been dwindling each week.

I was sure of a Bo-Nadia-Anwar-Carrie final 4 after the semis, but now I'm thinking it'll surely be Carrie and Constantine, with Vonzell and Bo as outside chances. Maybe Anwar, but he really needs to turn it up with riskiy performances that work.

Obviously it depends on the performance, but I can see Carrie and Constantine making it to the end without a visit to the bottom 3 (like Kelly and Clay).